Summer 2015

National Marine Sanctuaries

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

WATCH
Contents

2 OUR EVOLVING CULTURE OF COALITION BUILDING

Building coalitions is central to how national marine sanctuaries do business. Here’s why.

4 THE NOAA-NAVY PARTNERSHIP IN SANCTUARIES 

The NOAA-Navy partnership took root 40 years ago. The collaboration continues today. 

5 COALITIONS THAT INSPIRED EXPANSION

Sanctuaries are increasing in size and scope. It’s no surprise that coalitions are at the root of the change.

10 DIVERSE COMMUNITIES EMPOWER COALITIONS

David Helvarg and DeWitt John offer their perspectives on how coalitions have worked for sanctuaries.

14 CHAMPION PROFILES

Vicki Nichols Goldstein and the Colorado Ocean Coalition have something to teach coastal folk.

15 SOCIAL MEDIA BUILDS COALITIONS

Liking, following, retweeting: can these actions translate into coalition building?

16 GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY FOR GLOBAL COALITIONS

Technology enables partnerships, but a silver bullet it is not.

18 SANCTUARY SNAPSHOT

An amazing image of Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument wildlife.

THE OFFICE OF NATIONAL MARINE SANCTUARIES is part of NOAA’s 

National Ocean Service. 1305 East-West Highway, Silver Spring, MD 

20910 | Phone: 301-713-3125 | Web: http://sanctuaries.noaa.gov

SANCTUARY WATCH is a publication of the Education, Outreach and 

New Media Division of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Office of National Marine Sanctuaries. NOAA is an 

agency of the U.S. Department of Commerce.

DIVISION CHIEF ...........................Kate Thompson

EDITOR .........................................Cirse Gonzalez

DESIGN/LAYOUT..........................Matt McIntosh

COVER ILLUSTRATION ................Matt McIntosh

COPY EDITORS.............................Kate Spidalieri

Elizabeth Weinberg

CONTRIBUTORS

Gene Brighouse David Helvarg

Ellen Brody DeWitt John

Maria Brown Letise Lafeir

Malia Chow Matt Nichols

Matt Dozier Matt Stout PRINTED ON RECYCLED PAPER

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RISING TO THE CHALLENGE

W

e are living in an age of extraordinary evolution 

on not only how we communicate, but more importantly how we are each empowered with a 

responsibility for involvement in our communities and our nation. Whether it’s engagement in social or 

political causes, or participation in public policy, expectations of our role as citizens have changed and continue to 

evolve. More than ever, coalitions are the forces that drive 

public opinion and community action. 

In dealing with the challenges of natural resource management and sustainability, “top down” management may 

no longer serve the purposes of local resource managers 

or community members. Dealing with this reality has been 

part of the national marine sanctuary experience for many 

years. From the involvement of more than 400 citizens in 

our Sanctuary Advisory Councils, our new Business Advisory Council, and our extensive public participatory process 

of management planning and regulations, public involvement is simply how we “do business.

Coalition building is an inherited American trait. Coalitions of concerned leaders created the great environmental laws to protect the air and water quality we enjoy today. 

It is the uniting of citizens and communities that allows 

great ideas to become real.

This issue of “Sanctuary Watch” illustrates the importance of coalition building in decision making today. As 

we continue the process to consider nominations for new 

sanctuaries, we are engaging large coalitions of communities and partners. It is the “sum of the parts” of their labor that illustrates the power and impact of the coalition 

principal. It has been said that “sanctuaries are what you 

make them.” Coalitions of citizens make sanctuaries vital 

to community strength, and ensure that sanctuaries provide citizens with what they need.

WWW.NOMINATE.NOAA.GOV

By Daniel J. Basta

Photo:??

In 2013, trade and professional associations generated

$306B

Membership associations 

hold an estimated

$142 BILLION IN REVENUE

1,052,495

organizations were recognized by the IRS in 2013

CHARITABLE & PHILANTHROPIC

TRADE & PROFESSIONAL 

ASSOCIATIONS

WERE RECOGNIZED

BY THE IRS IN 2013

1.3M

by membership

EMPLOYED IN 2013

IN ASSETS

Source: ASAE, The Power of Associations, Jan. 2015

coalition 

[koh-uh-lish-uhn] 

Noun 

Process of joining together with others for a common purpose

Nearly63 million people

volunteered in the United

States through a membership 

organization in 2013. The 

value of this service is about

VOLUNTEERS

$174 billion

BUSINESS IN AMERICA

COALITIONS:

OCCURS THROUGH

MORE THAN

ORGANIZATIONS

Summer 2015 Sanctuary Watch 1
OUR 

AN EVOLVING APPROACH

Preaching to the choir does little to inuence change. at’s why today, building coalitions is recognized as central to how national marine sanctuaries do business. Coalitions must include unlikely characters and draw people out of their comfort zones. is new approach 

to coalition formation is innovation in the making. To do this, we 

know we have to connect people with what they already understand 

and value—connections made easy at our sites in tangible ways. 

We’re developing these connections every year and establishing 

new coalitions on account. Connect the creativity and ingenuity of app developers with conservation-minded folks and you 

get “WhaleAlert” and “WhaleSpotter,” apps developed through 

coalitions of organizations to protect whales. And what do you 

get when you connect scientists and camera crews to sanctuaries? 

High-resolution, 360-degree panoramic images of coral reefs in 

the Florida Keys, thanks to a coalition with Catlin Seaview to 

create a baseline record of our coral reefs. 

Our up and coming Centers of Excellence represent a convergence of 

coalitions. ese centers will be focused networks of 

commitment and expertise. From marine 

mammal acoustic and conservation 

research to unmanned technologies, four evolving 

MANAGING AMERICA’S UNDERWATER RESOURCES HAS NEVER BEEN A SIMPLE TASK 

Ever since our nation rst dipped its toe into the murky waters 

of ocean governance, there have been a myriad of challenges and 

disputes, arguments and agreements over what, how and why we 

should or shouldn’t regulate areas of our ocean and Great Lakes.

For more than 40 years, NOAA’s Oce of National Marine Sanctuaries has been ghting to ensure a healthy future for some of 

America’s most precious underwater places. Sometimes that ght 

has been a lonely and dicult one, but over the past four decades it 

has become abundantly clear that marine conservation cannot and 

should not happen in a vacuum.

COALITIONS ARE THE KEY

A national marine sanctuary—or any marine protected area, for 

that matter— works best when a coalition of support forms around 

it. A coalition of community members, of business owners, of educators and government ocials: all the people who value a piece of 

our ocean or Great Lakes and understand that protecting it and using its resources responsibly 

is in everyone’s best interest. 

ese coalitions don’t form on their 

own, however; they take tremendous 

energy, resources and time to build 

and sustain. is isn’t an exact science—it’s inherently messy, and can 

vary dramatically for each community 

and each protected place. But for all 

their challenges, the benets of having 

a network of motivated and dedicated 

supporters deeply invested in the stewardship of a sanctuary make the process 

worthwhile, and even essential.

 EVOLVING CULTURE

FIU Aquarius Reefbase, FKNMS 

Photo: Catlin Seaview Survey / Underwater Earth

2 Sanctuary Watch Summer 2015
OF 

BUILDING COALITION

hubs of information, technology and education will soon be poised at the forefront of their eld, 

meccas of aggressive innovation.

Perhaps most notably, we have created the Sanctuary System Business Advisory Council 

(BAC), our rst program-focused advisory council that provides advice and recommendations about the relationship of ONMS to the business community. is advisory council 

includes 15 members that represent travel and tourism, recreation, shing, transportation, 

energy, communications and marketing, corporate foundations and other businesses that 

derive prot from marine resources or have an interest in marine, natural and cultural 

resources. Council seats are currently lled by a powerhouse of organizations including: 

TripAdvisor, Royal Caribbean International, Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide Inc., 

Johnson Outdoors Inc., Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation, Cheney Energy Partners LLC, 

Subaru of America, National Geographic Society, Rockefeller Foundation, Coca-Cola 

Company, Walt Disney Parks and Resorts U.S., and JetBlue Airways. 

SANCTUARIES ARE WHAT YOU MAKE THEM

Coalition building is, of course, a work in progress—always uid, always exible and ever changing. e culture of the National Marine Sanctuary System has evolved continuously over its four 

decades. rough those years of successes, failuresand learning experiences we have gained a 

greater appreciation of how we can and should lend our support to coalitions. 

It has never been more critical that 

humanity work together to create positive change for our ocean and Great 

Lakes—real, lasting change, not minor 

successes and empty victories. Good 

intentions and isolated actions are not 

enough. Only through a united front—

a robust coalition—can we accomplish 

what needs to be done for the future of 

our ocean and our entire blue planet.

Summer 2015 Sanctuary Watch 3
O

ne of the Office of National Marine Sanctuaries’ (ONMS) earliest 

partners in coalition building was the U.S. Navy. Since the 1974 

R/V Alcoa Seaprobe expedition that mapped and confirmed the 

identity of the USS Monitor, the U.S. Navy has actively participated in Monitor research and the recovery of artifacts, providing significant 

resources including personnel, equipment and technical expertise. 

In 1975, Monitor National Marine Sanctuary, the first in the system, 

was designated to honor and protect the Union Navy ironclad that sank 

off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina in 1862 with 16 American sailors on 

board. Perhaps it was a fortuitous designation.

More than forty years later, seven of the fourteen national marine sanctuaries include Navy personnel on their sanctuary advisory councils.

The partnership between NOAA and the Navy is not, however, limited 

to meeting rooms. It also happens out on the water. Given the Navy’s 

connections to a wide variety of coalitions, with interests in everything 

from research to defense, its partnership with ONMS helps sanctuaries 

develop coalitions of higher purpose. Partnering with the Navy now presents ONMS with a unique capability for increasing opportunities.

At the Center of Excellence for Unmanned Technologies located at 

Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary, NOAA staff, like Matt Pickett, 

aviation operations coordinator, often work alongside peers from the Navy. 

The Navy has also stepped up to support NOAA’s conservation mission in 

national marine sanctuaries. In the Hawaiian Islands, for example, the Navy 

designated a 3.1 mile (5 km) “Humpback Whale Cautionary Area” in 2009.

FORTY YEARS 

OF COLLABORATION: 

THE NOAA-NAVY PARTNERSHIP IN SANCTUARIES

In 2015, a new working group between ONMS and the Navy’s Energy 

and Environmental Readiness Division (N45) is proving that this partnership 

is stronger than ever. The ONMS-N45 working group will seek out new opportunities for collaboration, from data-sharing to emergency preparedness 

exercises. These collaborations couldn’t be more timely. 

NOAA and the Navy are among the most important institutions in the U.S. 

today that are addressing the crises faced in and on the ocean, and ONMS 

is proud to take part.

Council membership is a key component of the Atlantic 

Fleet enhanced outreach efforts, and provides an on-going 

means to build relationships, understanding and trust 

among key stakeholders, including NOAA, states, nongovernmental organizations and the public.

Jene Nissen

U.S. Fleet Forces, Norfolk, VA

This type of ongoing sharing of information and perspectives benefits the Navy, the National Ocean Service and 

ultimately, our nation.

John Ugoretz, Sustainability Office

Naval Air Systems Command, Point Mugu Sea Range

Excavation team cheers as the 

Monitor turret is pulled from depth.

YP679 (left): NOAA; Celebration(right): Steve Earley / The Virginian-PIlot

In 2004, ONMS teamed-up with the 

Office of Naval Research to hunt for 

the USS Alligator.

4 Sanctuary Watch Summer 2015
INSPIRED

COALITIONS THAT

EXPANSION

PAGE 5 PAGE 6 PAGE 7 PAGE 8

Thunder Bay Gulf of the Farallones Hawaiian Islands American Samoa & Cordell Bank Humpback Whale

Illustration: Matt McIntosh
EXAMPLES OF THESE SUCCESS 

INCLUDE, BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO:

• Establishing the Great Lakes 

Maritime Heritage Center that now 

attracts 100,000 visitors a year;

• Attracting new businesses, such as 

a glass bottom boat, that draw many 

tourists to the area;

• Designing and constructing Great 

Lakes Maritime Trail;

• Hosting the annual July 4th Maritime 

Fest;

• Bringing a hyperbaric chamber to 

Alpena in partnership with Alpena 

Regional Medical Center; and 

• Hosting the annual Great Lakes 

remotely-operated vehicle (ROV) 

competition 

A TENFOLD EXPANSION IN SIZE

FROM OPPOSITION TO 

EXPANSION

under Bay National Marine Sanctuary 

(TBNMS) is a classic tale of how community-based coalitions can make a big difference. When the sanctuary designation 

process began in 1991, the opposition was 

strong and seemingly unyielding. By the 

time TBNMS was designated in 2000, controversy surrounding the sanctuary still existed. Nonetheless, a pre-designation advisory council, established in 1997, garnered 

what would become growing support for 

the sanctuary through a coalition of local 

stakeholders. Now, 14 years later, that community has created the branding “Sanctuary of the Great Lakes” in Alpena, Michiit is also admired by surrounding Great 

Lakes states. In making its transition from 

opposition to expansion, the sanctuary 

set a successful precedent for the future 

of our current and potential sanctuaries.

Moreover, Alpena has prompted a desire 

in other communities to have a sanctuary of their own. ese communities have 

begun to consider nominating sanctuaries in their own waters—a testament to 

the sanctuary’s conservation value, economic impact and national reputation.

RECIPE FOR SUCCESS

Without the victories of Michigan’s community coalitions, Americans would not 

have an expanded TBNMS, a sanctuary 

hallmark. As new communities consider 

nominating their own sanctuaries, they 

can reect on how the shining achievements at under Bay demonstrate the 

power and utility of coalitions.

gan and led the eort to expand TBNMS in 

Lake Huron from 448 square miles to 4,300 

square miles, or to almost 9.5 times its size. 

In 2009, under Bay National Marine Sanctuary released a management plan, recommended by the 

sanctuary’s advisory council, that 

contained a strategy for sanctuary 

expansion. ONMS later initiated 

a public process to evaluate the 

sanctuary’s current boundaries and 

assess the proposed expansion. After a review and widespread support 

from local and regional stakeholders and elected ocials, the new size 

and dimensions of the sanctuary were 

approved. Notably, the expansion was 

championed by former U.S. Senator Carl 

Levin and backed by U.S. Senator Debbie 

Stabenow, both from Michigan. Each Senator cited the scientic, cultural and economic benets of the new boundaries for Alpena 

and Northwest Michigan. 

Today, the expanded sanctuary protects 92 

known historic shipwrecks. rough diving 

or sonar imagery, sanctuary archaeologists 

and a wide range of research partners have 

conducted basic assessments at more than 70 

of these sites. In addition, historical research 

indicates that dozens of shipwrecks have yet 

to be discovered within the new boundaries. 

Sanctuary management of the enlarged area 

will build on current eorts, including the 

continued protection and assessment of its 

maritime heritage resources. 

REGIONAL ROLE MODEL 

under Bay National Marine Sanctuary is 

not only a source of pride for Michigan, but 

The motorship Nordmeer lies 40 feet 

beneath the surface in Thunder Bay 

National Marine Sanctuary. 

Photo: Tane Casserley

6 Sanctuary Watch Summer 2015
PRIDE OF THE PEOPLE

COMMUNITIES GUIDE EXPANSION

Over the course of two years, the sanctuaries 

hosted public scoping meetings and public hearings to determine the appropriate boundaries 

and regulations for the proposed expansion. Every meeting and hearing was at capacity; rooms 

were lled with community members supporting 

sanctuary expansion, a process that their comments would help guide. 

New regulations will now expand the boundaries 

of the two sanctuaries to incorporate an area more 

than twice their original size. Gulf of the Farallones 

National Marine Sanctuary will increase from 

1,282 square miles to 3,295 square miles, expanding north and east from Sonoma County’s Bodega 

Bay to north of Point Arena in Mendocino County. Its neighboring sanctuary, Cordell Bank, will see 

its borders expand from 529 square miles to 1,286, 

reaching further into the o-shore waters of 

Marin County to include Bodega Canyon. 

RESOLVE GETS RESULTS 

e expansion will increase protection of 

the marine wildlife and coastal habitats 

that lie within the 2,770 square miles of 

newly incorporated waters. Within these 

waters, Point Arena, the origin of one of the 

most productive upwelling zones in North 

America, feeds sanctuary waters downstream. e nutrient-rich waters make this 

area a hot spot of marine productivity and 

abundance in the Pacic marine ecosystem. From the endangered blue whale to 

white sharks, salmon and seabirds, many of 

our ocean’s most iconic animals depend on 

this area for breeding and feeding. 

THE PUBLIC AND 

PUBLIC FIGURES MOBILIZE

In California, when an increasingly obstinate 

Congress demonstrated that the legislative 

process would be an inaccessible avenue for 

change, determined individuals and community members mobilized. anks to their resolve, and a collaboration with engaged political leaders, an amazing marine ecosystem 

is now safeguarded for present and future 

generations. 

e idea of expansion arose from public requests and petitions in 2001. During public 

scoping for the management plan reviews 

of Gulf of the Farallones and Cordell Bank 

national marine sanctuaries, the public again 

requested that the sanctuaries expand. In the 

2008 publication of the management plans, 

Gulf of the Farallones and Cordell Bank national marine sanctuaries committed to exploring boundary expansion. 

In the meantime, from 2004-2011, Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey and Senator Barbara 

Boxer responded to public sentiment, proposing legislation to broaden the reach of the 

sanctuaries by including the source of productive upwelling waters. e legislation never 

passed the House and Senate in the same year. 

Just prior to leaving oce, Congresswoman 

Lynn Woolsey and members of the California Congressional Delegation requested that 

NOAA administratively expand the sanctuaries. In response to requests from the public, 

Congress and the 2012 management plans, 

Gulf of the Farallones and Cordell Bank sanctuaries began the administrative procedures to 

propose sanctuary expansion, as prescribed in 

the National Marine Sanctuaries Act and the 

National Environmental Policy Act. 

PRIDE OF THE PEOPLE

Scenes along the California coast where newly 

expanded sanctuary waters now connect with land. 

Photos: Matt McIntosh

Summer 2015 Sanctuary Watch 7
MANY DESIRES, 

ONE RALLYING CRY

In Hawai‘i, with its unique island geography, the community needs that vary from 

island to island can result in numerous and 

distinct coalitions. In the case of Hawaiian 

Islands Humpback Whale National Marine 

Sanctuary (HIHWNMS) however, it was a 

single, united coalition, composed of these 

otherwise disparate coalitions, that fueled a 

transition for the sanctuary. 

In 2010, HIHWNMS began a process to review management goals and priorities. e 

process provided an opportunity to consider 

a broader context for marine resource management needs in Hawai‘i. rough extensive public forums and stakeholder meetings 

across the state, priority issues were identi-

ed that could benet from additional sanctuary management attention. 

 COALITION OF COALITIONS

Stakeholders from around the Hawaiian Islands, representing dierent interest groups, 

communicated a variety of desires. Yet, in the 

end, the strategy to achieve their goals was the 

same. Specically, proposals were submitted requesting that the sanctuary address man-made 

threats to the marine environment, including 

oshore development and climate change. 

ere was also an expressed need to provide 

additional protections for marine species and 

habitats, as well as to further integrate maritime heritage and Native Hawaiian culture 

into sanctuary management and planning. 

In essence, what formed was a coalition of coalitions that coalesced because of a common 

theme, or thread: concern for the Hawaiian 

archipelago’s marine environment. Here, the 

Hawaiian environment became a rallying cry. 

A NEW ECOSYSTEM REGIME

In response, sanctuary managers proposed a 

transition from the current, single-species 

management of humpback whales to 

ecosystem-based management. 

is approach would allow the sanctuary to provide comprehensive 

protections from threats within its boundaries. 

Since humpback whales and their habitat are 

an essential component of the marine ecosystem, the sanctuary will continue to support its 

current programs. However, the new ecosystem regime will provide opportunities for the 

sanctuary to also engage in research, resource 

protection, community engagement and education related to other environmental issues.

E MĀLAMA I KE KAI

Native Hawaiians have historically used an 

ecosystem-based management approach to 

conserve both land and aquatic resources. 

Traditionally, biological and cultural resources were seen as interrelated, and therefore all 

biological resources are considered culturally 

signicant. In fact, Hawaiian tradition assigns 

people the role as stewards of the natural environment, a relationship made evident in the 

Hawaiian language: “E Mālama I Ke Kai” (“to 

care for the ocean”), “Mālama ‘Āina” (“to care 

for the land”), and “Aloha ‘Āina” (“love of the 

land”). When the sanctuary releases its Draft 

Environmental Impact Statement and Draft 

Management Plan in early 2015, it seeks to 

better align sanctuary management 

with the challenges the ocean 

faces and to better fulll its 

stewardship duties to the 

resources in its care. 

management of humpback whales to 

ecosystem-based management. 

is approach would al

with the challenges the ocean 

faces and to better fulll its 

stewardship duties to the 

resources in its care. 

Coral reefs teem with life 

and unrivaled diversity 

in Papahānaumokuākea 

Marine National Monument.

Photo: James Watt

Community members take part in a 

ceremony for a Hawaiian fish pond.

Photo: Ed Lyman
WHERE CULTURE BREEDS COALITION

COALITIONS KNOW ALL 

CULTURES

Fa’a-Samoa is the traditional Samoan lifestyle, or way of life. Dating back more than 

3,000 years, it is the foundation of Polynesia’s oldest culture. It places great importance on the dignity and achievements of 

the group rather than on individual achievements. Building a successful coalition within this cultural context was a symbolic success for Polynesia and the South Pacic, a 

testimony to the fact that while coalitions 

have to be built within existing cultures, all 

cultures can form coalitions.

FROM SMALL BEGINNINGS

e National Marine Sanctuary of American Samoa was established in 2012. Formerly Fagatele Bay National Marine Sanctuary, it was the smallest in 

the National Marine Sanctuary System 

at 0.25 square miles. Today, the sanctuary 

has grown to encompass ve additional 

community-based marine village areas 

throughout American Samoa. With a combined coverage of 13.581 square miles, the 

National Marine Sanctuary of American Samoa is now the largest sanctuary of the 13 

sites in the system. Just how did this small 

sanctuary transition? rough the building 

and acting of multiple coalitions of course!

TRUST IS KEY

Successful coalitions take time and patience. 

In the case of American Samoa, it took ve 

years and many meetings to bring a lot of 

groups together. First, the Sanctuary Advisory 

Photo caption goes here. Photo caption 

goes here. Photo caption goes here. 

Photo caption goes here.

Council participated in public scoping meetings, as well as site evaluation and outreach 

activities. Second, in order to understand and 

respect the unique cultural context of Samoan 

traditions and practices, the American Samoa 

Department of Commerce and Oce of Samoan Aairs advised on relevant village protocols. Additionally, village councils engaged 

in all management planning and decisionmaking for their adjacent marine areas while 

community leaders were encouraged to visit 

other sanctuaries and connect with visiting 

sanctuary leadership. roughout the process, 

trust was a prerequisite for successful coalition 

formation; without trust, the process in American Samoa would not have been eective.

merly Fagatele Bay National Marine Sanctuary, it was the smallest in 

the National Marine Sanctuary System 

at 0.25 square miles. Today, the sanctuary 

Interpretation and Education Office

National Park of American Samoa. 

Photo: NPS 

With a secluded sand beach and fringing 

reef, the Ofu unit of the park is an ideal place to 

snorkel or simply enjoy the solitude. The island of 

Olosega rises in the distance.

Photo: NPS

Below: Angelfishes, 

Pygoplites diacanthus.

Photo: NPS

Summer 2015 Sanctuary Watch 9
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DIVERSE COMMUNITIES EMPOWER

SUCCESSFUL COALITIONS

To build the strongest coalitions, a wide audience must be reached. In this article, we hear from DeWitt John, omas F. Shannon 

Distinguished Lecturer in Environmental Studies (Emeritus) at Bowdoin College, and David Helvarg, Executive Director of the 

Blue Frontier Campaign, on the ingredients and conditions for prime coalition building and the necessary steps to make it happen.

10 Sanctuary Watch Summer 2015
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Illustration & Infographic: Matt McIntosh

Summer 2015 Sanctuary Watch 11

local customers

BILLION

into the U.S. economy

GENERATING

We are a coalition of marine protected 

areas, joining more than 

MPAs in more than countries and

covering

We are a coalition 

of communicators, 

educators, researchers 

and other professionals: 

reaching more than 

MILLION

teachers and students

Conducting research 

and science collaborations 

WITH MORE THAN 

ORGANIZATIONS

10,000

millions of square miles

190

6.4 HOSTING 

42 million visitors annually 

through more than

400

local partnerships

200

SANCTUARY COALITIONS ADD UP
COALITIONS: MORE IMPORTANT THAN EVER! — by DeWitt John

WHAT IS A COALITION?

No one gets their way all the time. So 

we work with others to get what we need, 

want and love. Individuals and organizations join coalitions when they see opportunities to accomplish their goals quicker by working 

together. Coalitions can help discover eective new ways to improve 

ocean management and make the sanctuary system stronger and 

more successful than ever. 

Coalitions have personalities. Some are informal and temporary, but 

others are long-lasting and quite inuential. e people and organizations that are members of a coalition rarely agree on everything, 

and coalitions’ priorities change as new issues arise. Often coalitions’ 

rst demand is that government agencies listen and respond sympathetically and creatively to the concerns of coalition members before 

any decisions are made. Leaders of an eective coalition must be 

interested in—and able to respect—other people’s values and ideas. 

ey expect the same from sanctuary sta. 

How can a bureaucracy—an organization whose money and authority are based on law—work successfully with coalitions? 

Marine sanctuaries exist to protect the ocean, marine creatures and 

the environment. But dierent people value dierent things from the 

ocean, and many of us may want to use the ocean in ways that might 

risk some damage. Nonetheless, marine sanctuaries can work with 

coalitions more easily than most other bureaucracies can. 

A government agency can do only what the law allows it to do. Many 

environmental agencies regulate or set and enforce rules. And most 

federal agencies have national programs, so they try to do similar 

things in every location. 

Marine sanctuaries are special: they have federal regulations, but they 

can do things that most other agencies cannot because they have local advisory councils with signicant inuence and authority. Local 

coalitions can help councils and sanctuary sta build broad support 

for eective, custom-designed ways of managing a local sanctuary. 

HOW SHOULD SANCTUARY STAFF WORK WITH 

COALITIONS? 

e key to working with coalitions is to build a strong sanctuary 

advisory council with members who (1) are widely respected, (2) 

can present the views of dierent interest groups, and (3) have open 

minds and will work hard to understand other points of view and to 

look for creative local solutions. 

If the advisory council’s members are courageous and widely respected, and if sanctuary sta works closely and creatively with the council, local views can shift rapidly—faster than national guidelines—

and sanctuaries can do marvelous things to protect marine values and 

achieve statutory goals.

Sanctuaries can accomplish things that regulations alone cannot 

do. Sanctuaries can address local needs more eectively by helping 

mobilize local citizens and groups. It’s not easy, but the sanctuary 

councils—and the informal relationships and agreements and understandings that councils can help develop—give the marine sanctuary 

program the capacity to protect marine resources in ways that other 

government agencies cannot. 

12 Sanctuary Watch Summer 2015
Many of us share that moment in early 

childhood when we’re taken to the beach 

by our family and while being watched 

over at play, still manage to get knocked 

down by a wave. We get back up, and shaking 

our heads in sputtering amazement, look out to 

sea and realize we’re part of something larger than ourselves. 

at’s how I feel about coalition building, the kind of coalitions that 

have helped expand our democracy and restore our environment 

from sea to shining sea, the kind of coalitions needed to grow and 

enhance our national marine sanctuaries.

Our sanctuaries are located along coastlines where most of our citizens live, work and play. ey are the places where we have to nd 

common ground and coalesce around a shared vision for how to sustain and restore our great waters on an increasingly crowded, polluted, overshed and overheated blue planet. Historically, much of that 

coalescing has found its expression in response to a perceived threat.

DIVERSE COALITIONS SUPPORT A STRONG 

SANCTUARY PROGRAM

While the sanctuary system was established in the 1970s, some of 

its greatest growth, including the establishment of three major sanctuaries in California, Florida and Massachusetts, were the result of 

1980s coalitions of environmentalists, shermen, coastal residents 

and businesses, local governments and others who feared the risks 

associated with oshore oil and gas development and promoted an 

alternative in the creation of marine sanctuaries that forbid drilling 

and dumping within their boundaries.

Former Congressman and Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta has 

said that one of his proudest achievements was providing leadership for the coalition of Californians that won the establishment of 

Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary in 1992. Veterans of that 

coalition now participate in the marine sanctuary advisory council 

and benet from an expanded economy linked to coastal tourism, 

marine science, education, whale and wildlife watching and other 

advantages a healthy and protected ocean sanctuary provides its 

shoreline communities. Just to the north, a 15-year long citizens’ 

eort has led to the near tripling in size of Gulf of the Farallones 

and Cordell Bank national marine sanctuaries to be consecrated and 

celebrated this spring. 

OPPORTUNITIES AHEAD

Today, new and emerging threats to our coastal areas have sparked a 

“Sea Party Coalition” of champions for increased ocean conservation. 

At the same time the sanctuary system is opening up a process for 

new citizen-generated site nominations.

is makes for a near-perfect storm of opportunity for new blue coalitions and constituencies to form and to act. ese will include 

ocean recreational users, scientists seeking long-term study areas, 

ocean-dependent businesses in tourism, trade and protein, in addition to national defense and shipping, clean-energy and other marine 

stakeholders who seek to better coordinate their activities in the saltwater environment. And all these groups will look to marine sanctuaries as places they can work to develop new models and technologies 

for ecosystem based use and protection of our living seas and Great 

Lakes. ese are where we might yet restore the blue in our red, 

white and blue.

FINDING COMMON WATER — by David Helvarg

Summer 2015 Sanctuary Watch 13

Photos: Matt McIntosh
CHAMPION PROFILES: AN UNEXPECTED COALITION

V

icki is a woman on a mission. And she’s 

making waves a mile above sea-level.

Yale-educated in environmental studies and ocean policy, she has worked in 

the non-profit and ocean conservation field for 

more than 25 years, addressing everything from 

vessel traffic to sustainable seafood, marine 

protected areas (MPAs) to oil spills. 

Vicki began some of her first work with NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries. 

Years later, she would work for Save Our Shores 

in Santa Cruz, California and participate in sanctuary management as a member of a sanctuary advisory council. While on the council, Vicki 

dedicated time to building coalitions in support 

of sanctuaries—an especially important move 

during the implementation of Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. 

From California, she made the move inland to 

Boulder, Colorado, where in 2010 she founded 

the Colorado Ocean Coalition with the goal “to 

inspire and empower Colorado citizens to promote healthy oceans, through education and 

community involvement.” Her idea stemmed 

from a desire to create an inland ocean movement and it was quickly backed by the community. Today, the coalition remains a hub 

for ocean supporters and continues to bring 

together ocean aficionados, like scientists, 

students, dive shops and divers, in a place 

where there are no seas for miles around.

Through the Colorado Ocean Coalition’s 

Ocean Ambassador Certification Program, 

funded by the National Marine Sanctuary 

Foundation, Vicki has helped train 22 Ocean 

Ambassadors who are making a difference 

in their communities. As docents that work 

on behalf of the ocean, Ocean Ambassadors 

encourage others in their understanding and 

stewardship of marine resources.

Blue the Dive is her most recent endeavor—a prime example of a coalition fighting for 

the ocean. 

To Vicki, the key to collaboration is the discovery of core links or common ground and 

face time. “Use your networks; support and 

gather people with shared vision,” she says. 

It worked in Colorado—where next?! 

“YOU DON’T HAVE 

TO SEE THE OCEAN 

TO PROTECT IT”

2014 Ocean Ambassadors Certification Program Graduates and Colorado Ocean Coalition staff meet in 

Colorado to inspire inland ocean conservation.

VICKI NICHOLS GOLDSTEIN

A brief conversation with scuba retailers sparked the idea for this gem of 

a program. Launched at the 2014 Dive 

Equipment Manufacturers Association 

show, dive shop owners and equipment 

manufactures alike welcomed the program with cheers. According to its website, Blue the Dive is a collaborative 

initiative spearheaded by the Colorado 

Scuba Retailers Association (CSRA), 

the Colorado Ocean Coalition (COCO) 

and Ocean First Institute (OFI) to engage and support the dive industry in 

protecting the ocean through education, action and sustainable business 

practices. United, the coalition aims to 

“shift the paradigm of how the dive industry interacts with and protects our 

most valuable resource, the ocean.”

Photo: Colorado Ocean Coalition

14 Sanctuary Watch Summer 2015
W

hen astronauts first launched toward the 

moon and looked back at our planet for the 

first time, they made an unexpected discovery: Earth is Blue. 

NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries (ONMS) 

protects some of our blue planet’s most treasured underwater places, and we want to share them with the public. 

Recognizing that imagery is one of the most powerful 

tools we have to engage people around the world in the 

appreciation and stewardship of our nation’s underwater treasures, ONMS started a campaign to maximize 

that engagement through social media: #EarthIsBlue. 

Since the campaign’s inception, ONMS has been 

building a new coalition of supporters: social media savvy and readily engaged ocean users interested in what 

we do in sanctuaries – and readying to take action that 

will protect these treasured underwater places. 

@NOAASANCTUARIES | #EARTHISBLUE

SOCIAL MEDIA BUILDS COALITIONSIllustration: Matt McIntosh; For informaiton on Earth Is Blue photographs, including captions and credits, visit: sanctuaries.noaa.gov/earthisblue.html
GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY 

THE NEW MARITIME LEGACY

Our modern world is shaped by our maritime legacy. And our modern world is global. Before 

the ocean connected us, it carried us further apart. As we learned to sail and navigate, we spread 

around the globe. While saltwater has long been a highway for exploration, conquest and war, it 

has also been a conduit for the exchange of ideas, DNA and trade goods. 

Globalization is no stranger. And for those operating at its core, distance was a barrier that was 

to be physically overcome. Now that distance is transcended with the simple touch of a phone. 

New media has brought people together from across the globe with the click of a button. Social 

media keeps us all up to date. Combined, multi-media platforms are making it increasingly easy 

to connect where connection seemed all but futile in our recent memory. e implications for 

the marine world are thrilling: a new maritime legacy is forming from shore.

BUILDING A NEW AGE OF COALITIONS

Communities can be created virtually, using this very technology. ere is no end to the applications and software we can now use to connect with friends, family, colleagues and coworkers 

across the vast ocean. Face time is possible as are virtual seminars and learning labs. Sanctuaries, in 

fact, use these applications to connect with a global audience through forums like OceansLIVE, 

or to establish partnerships in a global arena, which was the foundation for a worldwide marine 

protected area (MPA) leadership forum spearheaded by ONMS. 

With these new platforms comes the ability and facility of interaction—and endless possibilities. 

Word spreads faster, ideas exchanged and adopted sooner, campaigns go viral. Resources, like 

data, are stored in clouds, analyzed comprehensively from sites around the world and communicated with increasingly larger reach. ese dynamics of our information era are in fact changing 

the form, nature and application of our communication in such a way that they are fostering a 

new age of coalitions birthed by new media and supported by tradition.

CAN TECHNOLOGY BE A FULL SUBSTITUTE FOR THE HANDSHAKE?

Collaboration has burgeoned given new utilities, of this there is no doubt. Yet, is it a substitution 

for the human element? Does a Skype meeting or Google Hangout eectively take the place of 

direct human interaction? Can data and models replace human interaction with the sea?

When NOAA’s National Marine Sanctuary System reached out to create a network of MPA 

managers from across the globe, phone calls and Skype only went so far. When the sanctuary 

system initiated the global MPA leadership forum, the handshakes exchanged at an in-person 

meeting in San Francisco, solidied what was born of web-based interactions. is past November, world leaders gathered in Sydney, Australia for the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) World Parks Congress, a landmark global forum on protected areas, 

held every ten years. Organized by the IUCN Director-General and the World Commission 

on Protected Areas, with the help of multi-media platforms, the Congress provided a venue for 

ForGLOBAL COALITIONS

16 Sanctuary Watch Summer 2015
knowledge-sharing, partnership building and 

innovation, elements that many in attendance 

had been missing from their communications 

for the past ten years. Delegates ultimately set 

the agenda for protected areas conservation for 

the coming decade, an ambitious outcome that 

perhaps nothing but human interaction could 

have helped speed along. 

Face-to-face is the crux of IUCN’s next meeting, 

the 2016 World Conservation Congress—the 

world’s largest conservation event. With 16,000 

to 17,000 expected to attend, personal interac-

tion will be paramount, and an important way 

to ensure that budding partnerships, projects 

and ideas are not lost in a sea of people.

COALITION BY ANY MEANS 

NECESSARY

When it comes to connecting, the answer is: 

WE NEED IT ALL. Whether it’s social media 

campaigns, training webinars, virtual meetings 

or handshakes and smiles, for ocean manage-

ment to be successful, every tool in the tool box 

is critical to development and sustained engage-

ment through empowerment. 

ere is no doubt that technology will continue 

to evolve at an ever-increasing pace, though its 

future place in society is uncertain. Given the 

unknown, there is no telling how the fabric of 

coalitions will change; however, one point is 

certain. As the distances among us grow small-

er, and the world with it, the ocean remains a 

constant, a piece of the puzzle that binds us all, 

and perhaps a reminder of the importance of di-

rect interaction. At the end of the day, there are 

clouds, and there is ocean; and while you can see 

both, you can only hear, smell and feel one. Per-

haps it’s the same for human interaction—let’s 

not keep it all on the cloud. 

OceansLIVE brings the ocean to communities nationwide 

through a multi-media platform. From research vessels 

and undersea habitats to policy conferences and film fes-

tivals, OceansLIVE helps viewers around the globe better 

understand the ocean and our inextricable connection to 

it. Since its inception, nearly five million people have en-

gaged with OceansLIVE, a partnership between NOAA’s 

Office of National Marine Sanctuaries, the National Ma-

rine Sanctuary Foundation and the University of Rhode 

Island’s Inner Space Center.

Montage: Hands: Vladimir Ivanovski/Shutterstock; dots & dotted globe: RAEVSKY/Shutterstock; people icons & mobile devices: Matt McIntosh

Summer 2015 Sanctuary Watch 17 Photo: Matt McIntosh
SANCTUARY SNAPSHOT

A picture is worth more than a thousand words when it comes to sanctuaries; snapshots like these are proof!

Hawaiian monk seals and green sea turtles spend lots of leisurely time together on the beautiful beaches of 

Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument (Photo: Mark Sullivan) ‪#‎EarthisBlue‬ ‪#‎Ocean‬‪#‎Marinelife‬